Bill Russell was one of the best basketball players of all time. Russell was part of the Boston dynasty of the 1960's.Bill Russell holds the record for the most championship won by an athlete in North American sports organization. Russell was the first African American basketball player to ever become a superstar. A five-time NBA most valuable player and a 12- time all-star with an career high pf 21,620 rebounds, an average of 22.5 per game and led the league in the past four. Also, Russell is considered one of the best defensive player to ever play the game of basketball. He won a gold medal in the1956 olympics as a captain of the U.S national basketball team. His greatest accomplishment was taking the boston celtics 11 championships in his 13 seasons.
William "Felton" Russell was born on february 12,1934 in Monroe, Louisiana. During his younger years, his family moved across the country to San Francisco, California where Bill attended Mclymonds High school across the bridge in Oakland. Bill played for his high school basketball team, and his incr size got him a scholarship to University of San Francisco. In his college days, Russell was about 6'9 and played the center position because of his height. He averaged 20.7 points and 20.3 rebounds when he reached his varisty year. Russell leaded the University basketball team to 56 victories and also took the team to the 1955 and 1956 NCAA championship. Mr. Russell was named the NCAA tournament most outstanding player in the 1956 championships.
Bill russell was a stunning player in the 1950's and 60's in his senior year. By putting up such a performance in college basketball, he caught the attention of general manager and Boston Celtic coach Red Auerbach. Auerbach had a excellent team but he knew that he needed a center with defense and Bill was the guy he was looking for. With all of the trading going on and the draft picks, Boston wasn't going to get the 6'9 star, until the deal was proposed. St. Louis owner Ben Kerner had Bill Russell in a draft but was willing to trade Macauley for Russell and it was settled. Bill didn't join the Celtics just yet because of his envolvement with the olympics basketball Team.
When Bill finally joined the roster, the starting five was Jim Loscutoff, Bill Sharman, Bob cousy, Heinsohn, and Bill Russell. Playing in 48 games,he dropped 19.6 rebounds per game, the best average in the league, while scoring 14.7 points per game. Russell was not considered a skilled offensive player, he was a selective shooting in his The Boston Celtics won the 1956-1957 NBA championship with their new star Bill russell. By wining his first championship, it gave Bill more confiendence to try and win another ring. Boston started the 1958-1959 season with 14 straight wins. As they repeated last season, Russell and the celtics went back to the nba finals but he got injured which cost them their title. But, Russell still got an enjoyment as becoming the NBA's most valuable player.
Over the next ten or so years, Russell won several mvp awards and alot of trophies for playing for the Boston Celtics. In 1965, the coach Red Auerbach retired from being the Celtics head coach and Bill russell took it and took them to the finals. Then in 1973, Bill left and became coach and general manager of the Seattle Supersonics. After a decade he left the supersonics and then coached the Sacremento Kings in the early 1987-1988. The team had a disappointing record of 17-41 and because of that, Bill left the mid-season. Bill russell was elected in Nba basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 and became one of the best Basketball players of all time and he set the bar for blacks that you can play despite your skin color.
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William "Felton" Russell was born on february 12,1934 in Monroe, Louisiana. During his younger years, his family moved across the country to San Francisco, California where Bill attended Mclymonds High school across the bridge in Oakland. Bill played for his high school basketball team, and his incr size got him a scholarship to University of San Francisco. In his college days, Russell was about 6'9 and played the center position because of his height. He averaged 20.7 points and 20.3 rebounds when he reached his varisty year. Russell leaded the University basketball team to 56 victories and also took the team to the 1955 and 1956 NCAA championship. Mr. Russell was named the NCAA tournament most outstanding player in the 1956 championships.
Bill russell was a stunning player in the 1950's and 60's in his senior year. By putting up such a performance in college basketball, he caught the attention of general manager and Boston Celtic coach Red Auerbach. Auerbach had a excellent team but he knew that he needed a center with defense and Bill was the guy he was looking for. With all of the trading going on and the draft picks, Boston wasn't going to get the 6'9 star, until the deal was proposed. St. Louis owner Ben Kerner had Bill Russell in a draft but was willing to trade Macauley for Russell and it was settled. Bill didn't join the Celtics just yet because of his envolvement with the olympics basketball Team.
When Bill finally joined the roster, the starting five was Jim Loscutoff, Bill Sharman, Bob cousy, Heinsohn, and Bill Russell. Playing in 48 games,he dropped 19.6 rebounds per game, the best average in the league, while scoring 14.7 points per game. Russell was not considered a skilled offensive player, he was a selective shooting in his The Boston Celtics won the 1956-1957 NBA championship with their new star Bill russell. By wining his first championship, it gave Bill more confiendence to try and win another ring. Boston started the 1958-1959 season with 14 straight wins. As they repeated last season, Russell and the celtics went back to the nba finals but he got injured which cost them their title. But, Russell still got an enjoyment as becoming the NBA's most valuable player.
Over the next ten or so years, Russell won several mvp awards and alot of trophies for playing for the Boston Celtics. In 1965, the coach Red Auerbach retired from being the Celtics head coach and Bill russell took it and took them to the finals. Then in 1973, Bill left and became coach and general manager of the Seattle Supersonics. After a decade he left the supersonics and then coached the Sacremento Kings in the early 1987-1988. The team had a disappointing record of 17-41 and because of that, Bill left the mid-season. Bill russell was elected in Nba basketball Hall of Fame in 1975 and became one of the best Basketball players of all time and he set the bar for blacks that you can play despite your skin color.
If you want to see videos of this player in action, follow the links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nWFsL4Y8RVA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfY6_wfqjxk&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwmG38LVe8c&feature=related